McInerney Defense Witness Denies Hate Crime Motive

The prosecution in the Chatsworth trial of Brandon McInerney, accused of killing his openly gay 15 year old classmate Larry King "execution style" in February 2008, vigorously argued that McInerney was a white supremacist who murdered King out of hatred for gays.

On Wednesday, McInerney put on defense witness Randal Hecht, a retired police officer and hate crime expert who testified that King's death was not a hate crime, according to the Ventura County Star.

Hecht said there were many inconsistencies in the prosecution's theory that McInerney was a white supremacist. McInerney wouldn't have had friends who were minorities while singling out gays as a group to hate under the tenets of white supremacy, Hecht said. The shaved head McInerney had shortly before the shooting was the style he wore, not a show of skinhead beliefs, he said. He also said the mere presence of doodles of white supremacy imagery or possession of historical Nazi items doesn't mean someone is a white supremacist.

Just because McInerney slept at the home of an avowed white supremacist who had numerous white power flags and images in drawers and closets, that doesn't mean McInerney ever saw them or that they had any influence over him, Hecht said.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Maeve Fox subsequently complained to the judge - out the earshot of the jury - that the defense was misstating the evidence and had not presented the prosecution with part of Hecht's testimony as required prior to trial.

Ventura County Superior Court Judge Charles Campbell agreed the defense had to provide Fox the information in advance -- and then reprimanded the defense team.

"I think this is one in a series of what I consider to be fairly shaky positions regarding the defense's obligation to provide discovery," he said. "The People have a high ethical duty to perform to high professional standards; the defense doesn't, and they haven't.

"I think they are playing every margin they can and have complained and complained when the People have done anything, but they have done things more significant in terms of how to proceed."

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Can there be a possibly more stupid witness that sees why it's not odd to torment the faggot but leave the more socially palatable lesbian (at least for straight men) alone?

Somebody get me some Advil. Every single time I read another installment on this trial my day is ruined. I should stay away from trials with gay panic defenses or I might just put myself in danger of getting a heart attack from becoming choleric all the time.

Wow… so according to the defense witness, the ducks I see at the pond that swim around all day, quack, bug me for cheesy bits for a hand out and look EXACTLY like a Mallard Ducks is in fact a chicken because he’s seen a picture of a chicken and he’s pretty sure that a duck is a chicken… sorry but this duck quacks.

A child being raised by someone who speaks French will most likely speak French. A child raised by someone who’s a white supremacist will most likely BE a white supremist. I know, I was raised in a white supremacist household. Not rabid as you see now days but sadly it’s the truth. Only by sheer luck and the grace of God did I learn at a young enough age that white supremacy is a logical fallacy and that my parents are fallible.

I needed a moment to put my head to the wall and bang it a few times. I'm with Gina. According to this 'expert', if the EVIDENCE shows that it quacks, has feathers, webbed feet and a bill...it must be a HORSE!